Overall: Jack's Abbey is pretty hit and miss with me and while this is not a miss, it is not a hit either. The flavors are clean and fruity. Style wise it is fairly true, but it is just missing that wow factor that would make me want to get this again. Not a bad beer, just one I would most likely not get again either. (557 characters)

The ABCS opens to exactly the kind of nose one would expect from a double IPL with 100+ IBUs: massive waves of dank hoppy goodness, with dandelion stem, lemon oil, pine resin, pink grapefruit, grapefruit rind, mint, eucalyptus, and grass oozing forth from the open bottle. The aromas are surprisingly faint, but one gets the feeling that this is more because they’re so thick that they don’t rise easily, instead forming an oily layer that more slides than rises. Still, there’s obviously a lot of hops in here, held somewhat in check by orange, apricot, and berry fruit esters, as well as candi sugar, brown sugar, and rosewater. Bits of toast crust and biscuit form a light bready backing, but are mostly drowned by hops and sugars. As a whole, the nose is very nice, and especially for hopheads, represents the sort of rock or icon that people will travel to from thousands of miles away just to touch briefly; it’s hard to imagine more hop aromas crammed into one bottle. This does, of course, mean that the aromas will be a turnoff to anyone not familiar with lupulin overabundance, and the sheer strength of the hops puts the beer largely, if deliciously, out of balance.

On the tongue, the beer is almost exactly as bitter and hoppy as should have been expected: thick swaths of dandelion stem, mint, eucalyptus, grapefruit, pine resin, and mint attack the tongue and soft palate, burning and etching their way into the flesh. The bitterness here is extreme, but balanced, with an impressive variety of almost every conceivable hop flavor working in perfect harmony to irreversibly wreck your palate. There are also bucketloads of sugar in here to try and keep the hops in check, with orange oil, apricot, and berry fruit esters, as well as brown sugar, and bits of toast crust and biscuit lodged in a lifejacket somewhere way in the back, hanging on for dear life. The aftertaste is a long-burning hop fuse that is, even after thirty seconds, more potent than an actual mouthful of many beers. Mouthfeel is medium to medium-heavy, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is very good beer, and once again, hophead heaven. At the same time, the sheer hoppiness of it all does imbalance the beer, and I suspect there are many people who would find this unpalatable, the hops coming across more like burnt anise seeds in fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice. But for a paltry $4.50 per bottle, you’re really not going to find more flavor for your buck. Recommended. (2,478 characters)

Medium amber, orange color, fairly hazy with a huge white foamy head. Aroma is of citrus, piney hops, and some floral aspects as well. Taste-wise there’s a lot of tropical stuff going on here, some orange and other really bright flavors. The piney notes are not as pronounced as the smell suggested. The IPL finishes really nicely - clean and dry on the palate. As I drink, there isn’t much lacing but the head retention is good. Unfortunately the carbonation level is kind of lacking – it seems a little bit flat. This is a good one, but I much preferred Jack’s Abbey’s Kiwi offering over this. (650 characters)

N -- Wow. Really strong hops. You can smell them from relatively far away. You don't need to get your nose right in there like you usually do. Really pleasant floral and grass smells. Citrus and pice spice notes too. Very, very fragrant.

T -- Hops again, obviously. Grassy. Good for the summer months. Apricot taste with the pine resin. Quite flavorful and tasty. The malt background of the lager is kind of overwhelmed, but I think that is quite all right.

M -- The hops are kind of dry, but not super dry like with SA Noble Pils. Not heavy at all for a bigger than normal beer. Easy drinking. Possibly dangerous!

O -- Excellent. Very good hops profile here. A lot to like. Brings a lot to the table without taking anything off. Get it while its still relatively fresh. (944 characters)